Fastener for wrist-watch bracelets



March 18, 1930. c. A. MEALY 0- FASTENER FOR WRIST WATCH BRACELETS Filed Jan. 24, 1929 looped ends 11 to Patented Mar 18, 1936) FATENT @FFEQE CHARLES A. MEALY, 0F NYATT POINT, RHODE ISLAND,

ASSIGNOR TO,'1HE HADLEY COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND FASTENEB FOR WRIST-WATCH- BRACELETS Application filed January 24,1929. Serial No. 334,717.

This invention relates to fasteners for con.- necting the looped ends of a bracelet to the respective loops or bails of a wrist watch case or similar article, and the principle object of the invention is to provide a detachable fastener or hook of improved construction having interlocking jaws, one of the jaws being pivotally mounted whereby the hook may be readily opened to permit easy insertion of the looped ends of the members to be connected.

A recommended embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a wrist watch case having looped cords attached thereto by means of the improved hooks;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the hook and connected cord;

ig. 3 is a. rear view of the same;

Figs. 1, 5 and 6 are side views of the hook member partly in section, showing different relative positions of the movable jaw; and

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7- 7 of Fig. 4.

The watch case 8 is intended to be representative of any wrist watch or similar article having bails or loops .9 for attachment to the ends of a wrist encircling bracelet 10 or the like. The bracelet may be made of any suitable material such as cords, thongs, ribbons or the like adapted to be formed with looped ends, but in the illustrative embodiment the bracelet portions consist of doubled cords having end loops 11 preferably defined by rings 12 surrounding the cord and sliding thereon.

A suitable cord bracelet is more fully described in my copending application for fasteners for cord bracelets Serial No. 290,302, filed July 5, 1928.

The fastener or book 13 for connecting the the bails or loops 9 preferably comprises a pair of sheet metal jaw members 1 1 and 15 hinged together as by the pin 16 and having correspondingly curved outer ends 17 and 18 respectively adapted to be sprung into overlapping relation thereby frictionally to interlock the jaws'(Figs. 5 and 6). Flanges 19 are preferably provided along the edges of the curved end 18 to guide the overlapping end 17 and provide a smooth, rounded exterior surface for the cord loops 11. The pivot 16 is preferably spaced from the bail end 20 of the fastener and said end is curved to provide an interior socket 21 for one of the bails 9.

To connect the cord ends with the watch case, the curved end 17 of the opened fastener (Fig. 4) may be passcd through the bail 9 until the bail is received within the socket 21, the looped end 11 of the cord is then slipped over the curved end 18 of jaw 15, and the jaws are sprung together with a snap action (Figs. 5 and 6) to enclose the bail and cord loop. Asnoted above the rounded flanges 19 which cover the sides of the outer curved end 17 protect the cord against injury by contact with the sharp edges of the overlapping end 17, and it will be observed that the hinge hooks surrounding the pin 16 furnish an abutment to retain the bail 9 within socket 21.

As the loops 11 may thus be inserted in the fastener transversely, it is not necessary to unfold the cord and pass one end through the hook with the inconvenience and possibility of fraying the cord end attendant upon the replacement of a cord in this objectionable manner. If it is desired to remove the cord and substitute another, the fastener may readily be opened by inserting the finger nail under the tip end 22 of jaw 14 and springing it over the curved end 18 of the other jaw.

Although this invention has especial utility when emboded in devices of the class heretofore described, it is obvious that the hinged fastening member or loop may be employe separately to interconnect a pair of loops of any usual construction or formation. It will also be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise structure herein shown and described, except as it may be defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fastener for connecting the looped ends of a bracelet to a wrist watch bail, comrising a pair of jaws hinged together near the bail end of the fastener and having a pair of correspondingly curvedfree ends adapted close the watch bail at said bail end and the looped bracelet end at the oppositeend of the fastener, the inner portion of said overlapping jaw ends having side flanges covering 3 the edges of the outer jaw end, thereby to pgotect the looped end from contact with said -e es.

2 A fastener for connecting the looped ends of a cord bracelet to the bail of a wrist watch, comprising a pair of jaws, one jaw having its opposite ends curved toward each other and the second jaw being hinged to one of said curved ends, the last-named end defining an interior socket for the watch bail,

5 and said hinge serving to retain said bail in said socket, the second jaw having a curved free end corresponding to the opposite curved end of the first jaw, and said curved ends being adapted to be sprung into overlapping relation to enclose the looped cord end behind them, the inner of said overlapping ends having rounded side flanges covering the edges i of the outer end, thereby to protect the cord against contact with said edges.

' Signed by me at Providence, R. I., this 21st day of January, 1929. I CHARLES A. MEALY. 

